10 settlers arrested after attacking diplomats and a Washington Post photographer

Tel Aviv - Ofoq News - The Israeli police announced today, Monday, the arrest of 10 settlers as part of a security operation dubbed “Olive Leaf,” against the backdrop of attacks in the West Bank last weekend, including attacks on European diplomats and a Washington Post photographer.

The police said that “security forces” confiscated a number of vehicles suspected of being used by those involved, noting that the operation coincides with law enforcement measures that include evacuating “illegal” buildings, dealing with violations of military orders, and evacuating a Palestinian home that was stormed by settlers.

In a related context, an Israeli court today extended the detention of two suspects in the attack on diplomats east of Ramallah, Nadav Cohen Tsemach and Eitan Rubinstein, for three days.

Judge Hagit Flute said in her decision that the two suspects face suspicions of conspiracy to commit a crime, disguising or using a face covering with the aim of committing a crime, intentionally causing damage to a vehicle and property, and committing crimes with a racist and collective motive.

She added, after reviewing the materials presented to her, that there was reasonable suspicion of their involvement in the acts attributed to them, noting that a secret file that included investigation procedures might be subject to confusion, which necessitated extending their detention to allow the police to complete the investigation.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported yesterday that the Israeli "security services" decided to intensify the evacuation of settlement outposts from which most attacks on Palestinians are launched.

Attack on European diplomats

Two days ago, about seven masked settlers, armed with clubs, attacked Palestinian citizens who were picking olives in the village of Taybeh near Ramallah, in the presence of French diplomats, including the French Consul General in Jerusalem, along with Belgian and Polish diplomats.

The assailants smashed the window of a vehicle belonging to the Belgian Consulate. Left-wing activists who were at the scene said that they summoned the Israeli army, but it did not arrive at the site.

In its response to the incident, the Israeli army said that it strongly condemns the violent attack that occurred in the vicinity of the village of Al-Taybeh, targeting diplomatic representatives at the hands of Israeli settlers, stressing that the incident will be subject to investigation.

The army added that the visit to the consulate was not coordinated with it in advance, considering that such arrangements are necessary to prevent incidents of this kind.

The army stated that the initial investigation showed that there were no forces at the site at the time of the attack.

In response to the activists’ statements about the army’s failure to respond to their calls, he said that the report was sent to the account of the operations room of the brigade designated to receive reports from members of the security services and not from civilians.

He added that the operations room receives dozens of operational reports daily, and responds to the authorized authorities, noting that there are other call centers designated to receive citizen complaints.

American and Belgian convictions

For his part, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attacks and said: “I am concerned about the images that show settler violence in the West Bank.”

The Belgian Foreign Minister also condemned the attack, saying that he strongly condemns the attack that occurred in the occupied West Bank, adding that the Palestinians face this violence daily, and that the aggressors also target journalists who document the attacks and diplomats.

He stressed that picking olives, reporting news, or performing diplomatic tasks should not expose anyone to danger.